For sale is a rare LARGE 1930s era LITHOGRAPH “PEPSODENT ANTISEPTIC ADVERTISING SIGN. This great point of sale heavy carboard display features a suggestive young woman examining her tongue in a hand held mirror. The text on the sign asks “TONGUE COATED – THEN YOUR BREATH MAY BE BAD”? This striking rare vintage self-standing point of sale display was created for general stores and druggists to promote sales of Pepsodent mouthwash from their store. The sign is marked with a 1935 copyright date. The sign is in mint condition and measures about 40 inches tall by 35 inches wide. An eye catching apothecary related collectible.
rugby player and is in superb condition. The player is holding a rugby ball in the crook of his arm and holding a “cod” bottle in his left hand while thirstily drinking a glass of soda. The style of bottle is an indication of the age of the advert as this style bottle was how carbonated beverages were first bottled. In the background is a stick barometer on the wall. This full color chromolithographed sign is printed on heavy, coated paper board stock. A top notch vintage advert.
The text at the top of the Sign reads “Down Goes the Thermometer!”. Text at the bottom of the Sign reads “Down Goes DANDY SHANDY. / Made From Sarsaparilla, Nettles, Dandelions, &c.”. Further text on the Sign reads “The Best of all Non-alcoholic Beverages”. The Sign is likely English or possibly Australian. “Shandy” is still a popular drink today in many former British colonies and tastes like a combination of beer and ginger ale (most modern Shandy has a very low alcohol content).
Pepsodent Antiseptic was sold in bottles during the mid to late 1930s for a price of 10 cents. The product, which contained 26% alcohol, was sold as a breath freshener and bacteria killer like any modern mouthwash, but it was also promoted quite aggressively in the ‘30s as a preventative for the common cold. “If everyone in this family uses Pepsodent Antiseptic, there should be 50% fewer colds,” read one 1935 ad, citing a very questionable in-house study. The Pepsodent company was mostly focused on selling toothpaste.
In 1915, William M. Ruthrauff patented the original Pepsodent formula. He was a well traveled teacher, coach, and salesman with no background in dentistry or chemical science. While brushing your teeth today is part of your daily routine, this was not the case at the turn of the 20th century. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, brushing your teeth was uncommon. Part of the issue was toothpaste was not available in local stores and was sold exclusively by door-to-door salesmen. Despite the enormous amount of dental problems in America, a majority of the people couldn’t grasp the concept or see the benefit of using the product.
Early Pepsodent toothpastes were gritty and sometimes damaging to the enamel of the teeth they were supposed to be cleaning, but national sales numbers remained strong through the 1920s and ‘30s thanks in large part to clever advertising. Claude Hopkins, an advertising pioneer, developed a market campaign for Pepsodent that changed the public’s habits. His advertising campaign was crafted around these elements: the cue (or trigger), the routine, and the reward. He pointed out how dirty and grimy one’s teeth were. People were told to run their tongue across their teeth to feel the grime (plaque) that had built-up on their teeth. Hopkins explained grime on teeth to be a film which would lead to decay and gum problems. Grimy teeth were the trigger. The routine was teeth brushing to deal with the grime. The reward of brushing was the frothing, minty sensation that leaves your mouth fresh and sparkling clean.
The point of the psychological campaign was to establish that at the first sensation of grime on the teeth, they needed Pepsodent. People continued to brush as their brains wanted the reward of the minty fresh feeling which they had begun to crave. And craving promotes habit. Within three weeks of launching this campaign, the number of people using Pepsodent went from 7% to 65%.
